Iconic Los Angeles boutique retailer Ron Herman has quietly shuttered the doors of its Malibu and Brentwood locations as it prepares to close its longstanding space on Melrose Avenue.
The store at Melrose Avenue and Crescent Heights Boulevard, once the home of Fred Segal, is expected to close in December, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Ron Herman’s space at the Malibu Country Mart was the first to close this year, followed by the San Vicente Boulevard door last month.
By year end, the Moana Surfrider Westin Resort & Spa in Waikiki will be Ron Herman’s remaining U.S. store. That location opened in February.
Ron Herman’s presence overseas is much larger, with more than 25 stores in Japan under its namesake label and RHC Ron Herman, which is dubbed a concept shop.
It’s unclear why the retailer’s presence on the U.S. Mainland is closing or what the long-term plans are for the business.
A spokesperson for Ron Herman parent Sazaby League declined to comment on the U.S. closures and future of the retailer, instead telling Vernon Proper a company representative would reach out “when it is time to make the announcement.”
Ron Herman, founder of the specialty retailer, sold his namesake business to Sazaby in 2019 on undisclosed terms. The two had already worked together for several years, with Sazaby operating the fleet of Ron Herman stores in Japan.
Sazaby is a Japanese distributor for brands across the fashion, lifestyle and food space. Local brands it works with include Culver City-based Outerknown, along with denim label Mother and jewelry line Spinelli Kilcollin of Los Angeles.
End of an Era
Ron Herman’s departure marks the final chapter for a significant piece of L.A. retail real estate on Melrose Avenue that began with the 1961 opening of Fred Segal’s style-defining boutique.
The site’s tenant roster has slowly changed in more recent years, signifying shifts among many of the leaders within the local boutique landscape.
Sandow bought Fred Segal in 2012 and relocated the flagship from Melrose to Sunset Boulevard in 2017. Two years later the retailer changed hands once again with its sale to Global Icons. In between the shuffling, a legal battle arose over whether the Fred Segal signage would remain standing at Melrose. It was ultimately removed in 2020.
Specialty retailer Ron Robinson, who got his start at Fred Segal and also once had a shop at the Melrose compound, closed his door there in 2020.
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